Golf ball retriever



May 6, 1969 s. FAB ER GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Filed Aug. 15, 1967 J zwcwfar (Jazz? Jwficr 14/521424 f iii/wanna United States Patent US. Cl. 294-19 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed herein is a golf ball retriever for use in recovery of a golf ball from a water trap, pond or any lie out of reach of the golfer. The retriever includes a cup secured to a handle having telescopically adjustable related sections. The retriever can be carried in a golf bag and in its telescoped condition is the same length as a golf club. The cup includes a onepiece leaf spring having spring fingers which form a ball receiving throat which retains a golf ball in the cup during retrieval. The cup is larger than a golf ball, thus permitting the ball to enter the cup nonconcentrically under less spring pressure than when received concentrically.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The golf ball retriever of the invention is particularly adapted to recover a golf ball from a soft bottom of a water trap or the like and to minimize the risk of pushing the ball from sight or reach into the silt or muck. The golf ball retriever includes a bell shaped cup secured to an adjustable handle. Within the cup is a curved leaf spring having two spring fingers which form an expandable throat. The spring fingers are desirably located in a plane through the center of the cup which is perpendicular to the handle. The spring fingers are secured to the cup at the inner cup apex. The diameter of the cup mouth is larger than a golf ball. Accordingly, a ball can be received therein nonconcentrically or off-center. When a golf ball enters the cup nonconcentrically, the ball encounters less spring resistance than when a ball enters the cup concentrically. This is because the dimension of the portion of the ball which engages the spring fingers is less than the maximum diameter of the ball. Accordingly, the spring fingers do not have to expand to the same extent to permit entrance of the ball as when a ball is received concentrically. Once the ball is within the throat and is retained by the fingers the handle and cup can be inverted and the ball removed from the trap.

DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a view of a golf ball retriever in use to recover a golf ball from a water trap.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the golf ball retriever shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the cup of the golf ball retriever shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view along line 44 01: FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the golf ball retriever cup and ball partially within the cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims appended hereto.

Golf ball retriever includes an adjustable handle 12 having telescopically related tubular sections 11 which can be extended for the purpose of retrieving a ball 13 from a trap or lie which is out of reach of a golfer. The golf ball retriever includes a cup or bell shaped receptacle 14 provided with openings 20 which afford water passage or flow through the cup 14 and particularly outflow as a ball 13 enters the cup 14.

Cup 14 has a slightly outwardly flared margin or lip 26 which forms a mouth 27. The cup 14 has an integrally molded socket 28 for handle section 30 secured therein by a cross pin 32 (FIG. 2).

In accordance with the invention, there is provided within cup 14 a U-shaped leaf spring 34 which is arranged in its longitudinal dimension transversely or perpendicularly to the handle 12. The spring 34-has two spring fingers 36. Each spring finger 36 has an outtumed tip 40 with the juncture between the spring lingers and tips forming knuckles or joints 44. Spring 34 is secured to the apex of the cup 14 by a rivet 46. The gap between the knuckles or joints 44 forms an expandable throat 48 of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball.

When a ball is forced into the cup as by downward pressure of the inverted cup over the ball the spring fingers will flex or expand slightly as the ball is urged through the throat 48. Once the medial center line of the ball has passed through the throat 48, the spring fingers 36 will return to a nonexpanded condition with the knuckles 44 retaining the ball securely in the cup 14.

When the ball has been retrieved from a trap and is secured in the cup by the spring 34, it may be manually removed from the cup by extending a finger into one of the openings 20 and pushing the ball outwardly of the cup 14 against the spring pressure of fingers 36.

The tips 40 of the spring fingers engage the-inner wall 43 0f the cup to provide stability for the spring and prevent release of the ball in the absence of manual pressure.

The mouth 27 of the cup 14 is larger in diameter than a golf ball. Thus, a golf ball 13 can be received asymmetrically or nonconcentrically within the cup. When a golf ball 13 enters the cup nonconcentrically, as for instance adjacent that side of the cup which is remote from socket 28, as shown in FIGURES 2, 5, the spring resistance to entrance of the ball into the cup 14 is less than that encountered when a ball is received concentrically. This is because the portion of the ball 13 which engages the center of the spring fingers is less in diameter than an equatorial plane through the center of the ball. Thus the throat 48 does not have to expand as much as it would if the ball were received symmetrically into the cup.

The capability of the golf ball retriever of the invention to receive a ball nonconcentrically with less spring resistance than when received concentrically is important when attempting to recover a ball from a heavily silted or mucky bottom as shown in FIGURE 1. By lowering the cup 14 over the ball 13 with the remote side of the inner wall 43 in contact with the remote side of the ball, it is less likely that the ball will be forced into the soft bottom beyond sight and reach than if an attempt were made to receive the ball concentrically into the cup against the greater pressure required to spread the spring fingers 36 apart when the maximum outside diameter of the ball passes into the throat 48. When the bottom is firm the cup 14 can be placed over the ball 13 to receive it concentrically.

I claim.

1. In a golf ball retriever having a handle and a ball receiving cup defined by a generally bell-shaped wall having an inner wall surface and an open mouth, the improvement comprising a U-shaped spring located within said cup, said spring having two opposed spring fingers, said fingers having obliquely outwardly extending tips, the juncture between said tips and said fingers forming knuckles which define an expandable ball receiving throat, said. throat being of a diameter less than the diameter of a golf ball when said throat is in a nonexpanded condition and wherein said inner wall surface serves as a guide for receiving a ball in said throat.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said tips of said spring fingers engage said inner-wall surface.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said spring fingers expand in a direction perpendicular to said handle.

4. In a golf ball retriever having a handle and a ball receiving cup having an open mouth, the improvement comprising a U-shaped spring located within said cup, said spring having two opposed spring fingers. said fingers having obliquely outwardly extending tips, the juncture :between said tips and said fingers forming knuckles which define an expandable ball receiving throat, said throat being of a diameter less than the diameter of a golf ball when said throat is in a nonexpanded condition, said cup mouth and said ball receiving throat being of such dimensions that when said cup is operatively positioned to receive a golf ball the ball will be received with less resistance from said spring fingers when received nonconcentrically than when received concentrically within said cup mouth.

References Cited ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

